150 Ways to You
by Maxx Jade Valkyrie
Summary: 150 songs, 150 scenes. A series of one-shots with Zuko and Katara based off of random songs. Each scene is my interpretation of a song that will revolve around our beloved couple. There will be many genres involved and explicit content in some scenes, it all depends on the song.
1. Beautiful Addiction

**AN: I'm just warning you now, my update schedule will be kind of slow. I have a pesky thing called real life to deal with. Reviews are greatly appreciated and I want to thank you in advance for your support. No flames, please. I am avid Zutara supporter. I am well aware that Kataang happened, their spawn exists after all. I can't change it but I have my wishful thinking. This is a Zutara story so if you don't like it, don't read it. Enjoy!**

**The song used for this chapter is Beautiful Addiction by Audioevent.**

* * *

Zuko paced restlessly in a corridor inside the ICU, his mind frantic. There was nothing else he could do, so he paced. He was pretty sure he was wearing a path in the floor.

Faint snatches of conversation reached his ears from behind a closed door. "Change the bag… this IV's draining…" At these words, his mind ran wild, imagining all sorts of bitter scenarios. Fuck, he couldn't take it anymore. He needed a distraction, if only for a little while. He needed a taste of something to keep him going, keep him high. He needed something to help him see that he was still alive.

He stalked down the hall a little ways to a coffee machine and preceded to poor himself a cup, trying to keep him mind blank. Suddenly the door opened and a group of people came out. He froze and words drifted back to him. "Inebriated… broken… no, you're jaded… in pain… nothing else we can do…"

He remained frozen, the cup falling from his rigid hand and spilling his coffee, making a sharp contrast with the white linoleum floor. That brought him to their attention. One man separated himself from the group and walked over to scarred, immobile man. "Are you the young man that brought her in?"

Zuko couldn't speak, couldn't move. He forced himself to nod mutely.

"What's your relationship with her? Is she your girlfriend?" The man shook his head slowly, his hands clenching. The doctor then noticed the silver ring on his finger.

"Wife?" he asked softly. The man nodded stiffly, his topaz eyes glazed over with pain and longing. The doctor wanted to reach out to the broken man but there were no words for something like this.

A wild beeping sounded from behind him, from the room he had just left, _her_ room, and he looked around, startled.

A nurse rushed out. "Doctor, she's going into cardiac arrest! We need you!" Zuko's heart constricted painfully. The doctor cursed and spun away, racing back into her room, Zuko right behind him.

The doctor heard the footsteps behind him and threw a pitying glance over his shoulder as he ran into the room. "You can't be in here."

The door slammed shut in Zuko's face. He slumped against the solid surface and listened to the swell of voices that rose behind the door.

"Paddles! 1… 2… 3… Clear! I need more of you inside! 1… 2… 3… Clear! 1… 2…" and it went on, the voices interspersed with the sound of a sharp electric shock that jolted his heart every time he heard it. He didn't want to listen anymore but he had to. It was killing him.

* * *

_Zuko was yelling, his knuckles white on the steering wheel. Her eyes closed as she remembered. Jet pressing himself against her, binding her. She struggled against him, begging him, pleading with him to stop. She was forced against the wall as he slipped inside, stretching her._

_She cried out, tears streaming down her face. It hurt so much. One of his hands pinned her wrists and the other one tangled in her long chocolate hair. She couldn't move, couldn't breathe._

_ "Please, Jet… stop…" she whispered through her tears. He started moving in her, pushing in and out, up and down. It hurt. _

"_Please, stop," she whispered brokenly._

_ Zuko was there, pulling Jet out of her. She fell to the floor in a heap with tears still streaming down her face. She felt sick, tainted._

_ "You sick son of a bitch!" His voice was shaking with pain and rage. She heard muffled blows being landed._

_ Then she was being gently picked up off the floor and Zuko's strong arms were beneath her. She breathed in his scent and sagged against him, burying her face in his chest. He held her tightly against him, whispering in her ear. "I love you, I'm sorry, I love you, I'm sorry," he said over and over again. She wondered dully why he was sorry, she was the one who was contaminated._

_ She was in the car and they were speeding away. He started yelling. Obscenities and promises of revenge rolled off his tongue as he cursed Jet to the depths of hell. Abruptly, she felt the car jerk and she heard metal screeching. Then there was a blinding light and more pain and then everything went black. The last thing she heard was Zuko calling her name. _

"_Katara!"_

* * *

Zuko still stood lifelessly as he listened to the sound of flesh being cut.

_She awoke some time later under bright white lights and searing pain. Everything was muddled and groggy. She went back under. She couldn't remember._

* * *

He heard her stop heart stop again and so did his.

_She labored to find consciousness again but all she felt was numbness. It was a blessing from the constant pain._

* * *

He breathed again when her heart started again, slowly, reluctantly. It stuttered and steadied. It stopped again. "Clear!"

_And then she felt nothing._

* * *

He silently pleaded with the gods to spare her. He imagined her unresponsive face and his heart broke again. That's all it seemed to be doing tonight. He threw himself into a chair across the hall and sobbed, his head in his hands. He wasn't ready to lose his beautiful wife. It wasn't supposed to happen. Not this way, not yet. They were supposed to grow old together. People watched him with sympathy.

_She felt her heart start again, painful and unwilling. She hated it and welcomed it. She was in so much pain that she just wanted to let go but she couldn't. A face was waiting for her. A face she had to see again. 'The pain you deal just kills me better. The pain is all the keeps me alive,' she thought. She cursed him. The pain was the only real thing that she had to hold onto. She still couldn't open her eyes._

* * *

After what felt like centuries later, the door opened again. Zuko leapt to his feet. The same doctor walked out to meet him, this time covered in blood. His face was grim.

"She is stable…" Zuko breathed out in relief. "However, there is extensive damage to her heart and lungs that we have tried our best to repair. She's been through a lot tonight and her body shut down for a while, putting her into a coma."

Zuko finally spoke for the first time that night, his voice raspy and rough from lack of use. "Will she… wake up?" He heard his voice break. The doctor put his hand on Zuko's shoulder and there was pity in his eyes.

"I don't know, son. Only time will tell."

His heart sunk. "Can I see her?"

"Yes."

The doctor led him into the room. No evidence of the previous distress remained, the room was sparkling clean and sterile but Zuko didn't notice that. He only had eyes for the woman on the bed.

She was a mess.

A white sheet covered her. Her rigid arms lay uncomfortably at her sides, palms facing up. Her normally tan skin was white and bruised. Shallow cuts crisscrossed her chest, arms, and neck. Her lips were dry and cracked, her long hair tangled and matted. Zuko registered all this but that's not what caused him to stare.

A deep cut slashed across the left side of her face, cutting through her brow, eye, and cheek before stopping at the corner of her lips. It was stitched shut but Zuko knew that there would be an ugly scar, just like his.

He tore his eyes away from the jagged wound. She was covered in tubes and machinery. There was an IV in her arm and a tube jammed down her throat. There was also something hooked into her chest. She was connected to so many machines that had served the sole purpose of keeping her alive. It hurt him deeply to see her like this.

The doctor spoke from somewhere behind him. "She'll be moved out of ICU as soon as possible. She'll be on Life Support until her collapsed lung can heal and she can breathe on her own."

Zuko just nodded unseeingly. He obviously only had eyes for her. The doctor took his leave and left the couple alone.

He heard the door shut. He pulled a chair up and sat at her side, holding her hand, the one that didn't have an IV in it.

"Hey, baby," he whispered. She didn't stir. His heart clenched. "They, uh," he was finding it hard to speak around the lump in his throat. "They say you might not wake up… but I know you… too stubborn to let go, huh?" He looked at her hopefully. There was nothing.

"Come on, baby, you have to wake up. You have to," he murmured and his voice broke again.

Still nothing. He didn't know how long he sat there, holding her cold hand. It felt like forever.

Suddenly he leaned forward. "Remember when I proposed to you, baby? Well, I guess technically you proposed to me, huh? Anyway, we were on Venice Beach under a stunning full moon. You were standing in the water and I swear you were the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I had the ring in my pocket and I was nervous as hell. You came up to me and for some reason, you were so mad. God, you're so cute when you're angry. I had no idea. You slapped my chest and said 'Zuko, I swear to God, you better ask me to marry you soon or so help me, I'll buy you a goddamn diamond ring.' It was the perfect opportunity. I got down on one knee and gave you the ring. I'd never seen you happier. You're the only one for me." Zuko smiled as he remembered, lost in the past.

He quickly came back to the present, staring at the empty shell that used to be the love of his life. Still, nothing.

* * *

_She heard his voice and the pain was bothering her. Her angel shouldn't feel this way. She remembered the time that he was talking about. He started speaking again and she quieted her mind to listen. He was telling her memories, memories of them. He talked for a long time and most of them blurred together because she couldn't see past the haze in her mind. Only glimpses and snatches were available but hearing his voice was enough for the moment. _

'_Maybe it's manipulation. Who's to say?' her brother had yelled at her when he first saw them together._

'_And maybe I'm a fool but it's my life,' was her reply and Zuko had smiled down at her. His smile was the most beautiful thing in the world besides his lovely golden eyes._

'_I hate to love to love to hate you but there's no end for me in sight,' She had told him after their first kiss. She didn't know if them being together was right but she didn't want it to end while she sorted through her troubled feelings. _

'_So I'll be hooked on hating you while you continue to suck me dry,' he replied wryly, bringing his lips to her throat. _

_He continued talking for what seemed like forever while she attempted to open her eyes. She wanted to see his face, damn it, but there was something wrong. _

* * *

Zuko had been talking for the better part of a long time and nothing had changed. She hadn't moved, hadn't twitched, hadn't altered in the slightest. His voice was hoarse and he was at his end.

Then, he was on his knees, one of her hands clenched in both of his. "Please, Katara!" he cried. "You have to wake up. You're too beautiful to die. I've been a fool and you've got me down on my knees. Please!"

Tears fell silently down his cheeks. "Please, Katara, I love you. Wake up…"

His only answer was silence. Then the machine that monitored her heart began to beep wildly. He stared at it dumbly.

The door opened and he was being pushed aside. The doctor shoved him into a corner and yanked back the sheet. The beeping stopped and a monotonous drone replaced the incessant noise. People kept rushing into the room, people trying to save her. Eventually, the doctor turned to address Zuko.

"The damage to her heart is too great. We took a chance and it wasn't enough. Her only chance of survival at this point would be an immediate heart transplant and we don't have any available."

The words broke through his shock. A deadly calm suffused him and he was suddenly filled will an unyielding determination. He knew exactly what he had to do. His voice cut through the mayhem, clear and ringing.

"Take mine."

* * *

_The pain was back again. She was vaguely aware of what was happening. There was something wrong with her heart. She was going to die. She was suddenly very calm. The moment the thought was in head, she accepted it. Her only regret was that she couldn't see Zuko one last time. Then she heard his voice cut through. 'Take mine.'_

_Her brain reeled in shock. Take what? His heart? He couldn't do that. He had to go on living. For her. 'No!' she screamed soundlessly. She struggled against her useless body, willing it to move. It didn't respond to her will._

* * *

The doctor stared at Zuko. "Do you know what you're saying, son?"

He wanted to scream in frustration. "Yes, you idiot! Take. My. Heart!"

The doctor stared at the scarred man in awe. His love for her must run deep indeed if he was willing to give up his heart for her. Literally. Still, he had to ask one more time.

"Are you sure?" Golden eyes looked at him with steely resolve, no hesitation whatsoever.

"Yes," he answered. "It always belonged to her anyways."

* * *

_No, Zuko, no!' she wailed silently. She begged him, pleaded him not to go through with this. She willed her heart to start again so he wouldn't go through with this. It didn't obey. _

'_Start CPR,' a male voice ordered and her heart was pumping again and there was breath in her lungs but it wasn't natural. She wished with all of her almost dead heart that it was._

* * *

He took off his shirt and lay on the cold metal table beside her. There was no going back now but he felt no fear. His only feelings were of love and regret that he couldn't look into her blue eyes one last time. The doctor was beside him, holding up a needle. "This is an anesthetic. It will put you to sleep until you…" the doctor stopped, unable to say it.

"Thank you for what you're doing, son, it is truly inspirational," he continued after a pause.

"Are you ready?" he asked. Zuko merely nodded. He fumbled for Katara's hand and he caught it, raising it to his lips for one last kiss. He silently begged her to forgive him but he couldn't live in a world without her and he would gladly sacrifice his life for hers.

He felt the prick of a needle and his eyes slowly began to droop.

* * *

_She felt his lips ghost across her knuckles and she tried to open her mouth to stop him but it was too late. Black looped around the edges of her vision._

* * *

"Remember, I am the hell that saved you. I'll always love you, Katara, always." And Zuko died, with her hand in his and her name on his lips.

* * *

_She heard his words and heard his last breath. She would never love anyone as much as she loved him. She silently thanked him for his huge sacrifice before she passed out. _

_ I am the hell that saved you._

* * *

Years later, Katara looked in the mirror. She saw the ugly, jagged scar that ran down the left side of her face. She was not ashamed of it. She wore it proudly, it was a reminder. It still brought her pain though. It always would.

Others she wore less proudly. She glanced down at the scars that littered her arms, some deep and rough, others shallow and white. They were the marks of her beautiful addiction, another physical reminder.

But not the biggest one.

She put a hand over her chest where she felt his heart beating strongly, keeping her alive. A tear ghosted down her cheek. _I will always love you, always._

_ I am the hell that saved you._


	2. Shut Up

**AN: I am extremely sorry for the slow update! I've been super busy with the holidays. I just want to take my readers for sticking with me. I'm really busy and I can only write when I find time. Hopefully, the read is worth the wait. Many thanks to my first reviewers! They really do make me happy. Hopefully, you enjoy this next chapter.**

**The song used for this chapter is Shut Up by Blink-182.**

* * *

Katara Agni was angry again. It was no surprise to her. It even made her a little sad that she was angry again. That's the only emotion she ever seemed to feel lately. She stalked back and forth, her hips swaying in time with her turbulent thoughts. She barely noticed the two-year-old child that she was rocking in her arms, a child who was currently trying to get her attention.

He kept making little noises and waving his arms, trying to touch his mother's face. All of these attempts went unnoticed. Frustrated, he let out a sheer, ringing wail of irritation that echoed through the room. Finally, Katara snapped out of her reverie.

"_What_?" she asked, exasperated, glancing down at her son. He just looked up at her indignantly.

At the sight of his face, her eyes softened and a tiny smile appeared on her lips. Her son was beautiful. He was the perfect mix between his parents. He had his mother's tan skin and supple features but his father's unruly black hair. He also had his father's slanted almond eyes, a wide, striking gold that was unforgettable.

However, at the thought of his father, Katara's cerulean eyes darkened.

She silently resumed her rocking and the child slowly quieted. Her thoughts continued to storm around her head, louder than ever. She looked down again after a while and saw that her son was finally asleep.

She hoped that he would stay that way.

She walked across the room to a crib and gently laid the child down. He didn't stir as she tucked him in. She straightened and her gaze darted across the spotless room, settling on the clock. It was past one in the morning and she groaned. It was time to confront her husband.

* * *

Walking out of her son's room, she softly closed the door behind her and strode down to the basement, the man cave. When she opened the basement door, she wrinkled her nose. The smell was overwhelming, rotten food mixed with stale booze.

The big screen TV was bright with a football game on mute. A long couch with a tall figure sprawled across it flickered in the darkness as she struggled to make her way across a floor littered with bottles. As the light of the TV fell across his sleeping form, she could almost see the man she had fallen in love with.

He was devastatingly handsome with pale skin, the body of a god, and shaggy black hair. Her eyes traveled appreciatively along his form and stopped on the half-empty bottle of rum that dangled from his fingers. Her lips curled into a snarl and all the anger that she had ever felt came rushing back.

Her hand snaked out and snatched the bottle from his hand and she took a long swig before chucking it forcefully against the wall. It shattered with an explosive crack, pieces tinkling to the ground like rain. He jumped.

Opening his ocher eyes blearily, he could vaguely make out the form of his wife standing over him. She was _pissed_. Again. Goddamn it, he really didn't want to deal with her right now.

He groaned and reached for his rum only to discover that it wasn't there. His eyes narrowed and he focused on Katara. Standing up so he could tower over her, he tried not to sway too much.

"What the fuck, Katara? Give it back," he yelled.

His words fired into her brain like a gunshot. That's the first thing that came out of his mouth. That's all he cared about. Not her, not his son, not anything but his stupid, fucking booze. She took in his anger and it just fueled her own. Something inside her snapped.

"Shut the fuck up, Zuko! Shut the fuck up!" she said. "I'm going fucking deaf! You're always too loud! Everything's too loud!" Her voice rose with every word and her hands gestured wildly. Her long brown hair flew around her face and her cobalt eyes shone with fury.

Zuko blinked and backed away. He had never seen his wife this angry.

She continued, finally voicing all the frustrations that she had kept bottled up for months. "Now that all my friends left, this place is fucking dead! I want to move out! When can we move out? This shit had got to stop!" She paused for breath.

He was mildly surprised at her outburst. She had never talked about this with him. He honestly had no idea where this was coming from. At least, that's what his drunken self told him. His almost nonexistent conscience was shouting at him from under his inebriation but he ignored it.

Her voice was hurting his head anyway. Rubbing his temples, Zuko threw himself back on the couch and tried to drown her out. He didn't want to hear this. He just wanted another drink. No, he wanted to drink himself into oblivion.

Katara was seeing red.

"Get the fuck up!" she said. "Your life is meaningless! It's going nowhere! You're going nowhere!" This angered him enough to wobble upright, opening his mouth to defend himself with alcoholic courage. She cut him off before he had a chance to speak.

"You're just a fuck up!" she said. "I'll live alone instead." Her voice lowered to a whisper at the end and she turned away. She was afraid because she had finally uttered those words out loud but she knew it was true. As her words finally penetrated through his intoxication, Zuko froze, shocked.

She said, "You don't care, I know I don't care."

She started walking away.

One thought permeated his brain over and over again. Katara was _leaving_. Then it hit him. That wasn't important. Katara wasn't leaving. Katara was leaving _him_. He heard her footsteps on the stairs.

He couldn't let that happen. He had to stop her.

He took off, running for the stairs. Well, he tried running but ended stumbling. He righted himself and staggered up the steps, cursing his inebriated state of mind.

He caught her just as she was walking out the front door and his heart almost stopped beating at the sight before him. She had a duffel bag slung over one shoulder and a baby bag over the other. Their son was in her arms. She really was leaving.

He couldn't let her. He loved her. He just had to make her understand. Stepping forward, he took her arm and spun her around to face him.

He looked at her earnestly. "You can't leave, Katara. I won't let you."

Livid, she pulled out of his grasp. "I'll _never_ ask permission from you!"

"Fuck off, I'm not listening to you," Zuko yelled. He caught her again and shook her roughly. "You can't leave, Katara!" His grip on her arms tightened. He was hurting her.

Her son was frightened at all the noise and started to cry. Zuko started at the sound and looked down at him, bemused, his grip loosening.

She took the opportunity and broke free, racing for the door. When she reached it, she heard his voice, strained and raspy. "If you leave, you can't come home. You can never come back."

She stopped and turned to look at him one last time, tears starting to spill down her cheeks. Her husband was clutching his chest, broken and wasted, a shadow of the man he could have been. His eyes were empty. Her heart broke for him but she had had enough.

"I'm not coming home. I'm never going to come back home."

And then she was gone.

Zuko crumpled the floor, motionless and in pain. Her last words rang through his head over and over again. _I'm not coming home. I'm never going to come back home._

She was gone.

She wasn't coming back.

He had really fucked up this time.

* * *

_Dear Uncle Iroh,_

_After all these years, I'm still stuck in the same dead town that I grew up in after my family moved. I thought my life had changed when the exciting boy with the mysterious scar moved into town with you. I was fourteen and he was sixteen and we fell in love, helping each other out of the grief of our pasts. Everything was perfect, like a goddamn Taylor Swift song._

_We were together for years, even after he graduated and went off to college. Nothing changed and we were happier than ever, especially when I finally graduated and was set to join him in the fall. We were even going to get an apartment. _

_Then I found out I was pregnant and our world exploded. _

_He was the perfect gentleman about it. He comforted me and stayed by my side the entire time, mood swings and all. He left Ba Sing Se University to stay with me because he said that raising his family was more important. He even married me three months into the pregnancy. "Not because of the baby," he said. "But because he loved me."_

_What a crock of shit. _

_I know that he resents me at least a little bit for having the baby. He can't blame me entirely because it takes two to tango but the bitterness is definitely there. _

_He doesn't have any room to talk, Uncle, because I've made sacrifices as well. I gave up my full ride scholarship to Ba Sing Se University. I gave up what may have been my only chance to be a doctor. _

_I honestly didn't think it was much of a choice to make at the time. My entire life rearranged when I felt my son move inside me. _

_That was two years ago and my life couldn't be more boring. All my friends are gone. Aang and Toph took the year off to see the world together and they are going to college next fall. Suki is still on Kyoshi Island, studying the martial arts and it's going very well for her. She's a black belt or whatever the equivalent is in at least six different arts. Sokka is staying with her but he recently went back to the South Pole to visit our family. They're getting married there. I wish I could attend but I'm barely making ends meet as it is and I simply can't afford it._

_Gran-Gran, Pakku, and my dad all say hello by the way. I miss my family. When my dad moved back to the South Pole with my grandparents, he wanted us to go with him. I declined because Zuko would have hated it and I wanted my family to stay together. I now wish I would have gone with him. It would have spared me a lot of heartache, Uncle._

_I love my son. He is the most important in my world, rivaled only by Zuko, but even that had changed. After my son was born, I started discovering the bottles. At first, it wasn't noticeable. I just thought he was stressed. We had some tough choices to make. We were taking about going back to school, maybe moving. He never wanted to talk about it. Whenever I asked, he would just blow it off and try to distract me with another topic. I eventually stopped asking. _

_Then, Zuko turned into a full-blown alcoholic. He's a recluse, he lost his job, and he spends my money on as much booze as he can. I can't keep doing this much longer. I kept holding on, Uncle. I have tried everything but I haven't gotten through to him. He won't tell me anything and we haven't talked in ages. I don't know what's wrong with him. It's been two years and I can't keep waiting. We even stopped sleeping together. I don't know how to help him, Uncle. He won't even listen to you._

_He even hit me once. It was only once and he was too drunk to remember but he still did it. I truly didn't think he was capable of it but I still have the bruise. _

_My son needs a father that going to be there for him. My son needs a man, not an alcoholic. It pains me deeply to say this but Zuko is turning into his father. I don't want a man like that around my son. _

_Thank you for your advice and your tea. I know how much this must hurt you. Believe me, I understand. The pain is beyond anything I've ever felt. I wish things were different but my husband is not the same man I fell in love with. I am done with him. I have to be._

_I think it's time for me to leave. _

_I love you,_

_Katara_

He found the letter wedged in between two empty bottles in the liquor cabinet. It was addressed to Uncle Iroh but he was sure that she had meant for him to find it, eventually. _I don't know how to help him, Uncle. He won't even listen to you. It pains me deeply to say this but Zuko is turning into his father. _

Zuko's fist tightened and he crushed the letter in his hand. So that's why she had left. He _was_ turning into his father. He had even hit her according to the letter.

He vaguely remembered it and the memory filled him with shame. He slumped against the empty liquor cabinet and cursed his foolishness. He had broken the promise that he had made himself a long time. He had become his father.

There really was nothing left.

Everything was gone.

His beautiful wife with her ringing laugh, shining eyes, and lovely hair was gone.

The way her eyes would crinkle around the edges when she smiled as she watched him play with their son was gone.

The way her body pressed against his when she welcomed him home after a hard day was gone.

The way her eyes lit up when he told her he loved her was gone.

She had also taken their son.

_I think it's time for me to leave._

The last words of her letter rang through his head. His head snapped up and he made his decision. It was time for him to leave.

* * *

Hours later, Zuko leaned his head against his seat, looking out the window A small, feminine cough sounded next to his ear and he jumped slightly. Turning his head slightly, he cocked his eyebrow at the flight attendant that was standing next to him. She smiled flirtatiously, her eyes travelling up and down his form. "Can I get you anything to drink, sir? Soda? Water? Perhaps something stronger?" she asked, attempting to be seductive. He wasn't amused, he certainly wasn't tempted, and he wouldn't give in.

Not again.

"Nothing," he said curtly. Her face fell. He closed his eyes. He didn't care.

'_I got too fucked up again,' _he mused, remembering the night she had left. The night of his last drink. He put his head in hands. _'Passed out on the plane, tried to forget you, I can't forget you. No sleep on this flight, I think about the nights we had to get through. How did we get through?'_ He had passed out on his first flight, barely making his connecting flight. The closer he got to her, the more anxious he became. He hadn't slept at all. Instead, he kept thinking about the fights that they had and all the times he had fucked up. It was a miracle she hadn't left him sooner. He really wondered how they had gotten through.

The captain announced that they would reach their destination in fifteen minutes. His mouth went dry. He was nervous as hell. There was no going back now and he was ready to give up anything for his family.

* * *

His uncle met him outside. "Are you ready, Zuko?"

Zuko avoided his eyes. "As ready as I'll ever be."

His uncle started walking. "Uncle?" Zuko called after him. His uncle stopped and turned toward him. He bowed his head and a single tear escaped and flowed down his unmarred cheek. "I am so sorry."

His uncle said nothing. He enveloped his nephew in a crushing hug.

* * *

He knocked on her apartment door. He heard light footsteps on the other side and the door swung open. Katara froze when she saw who was framed in the light. It was Zuko, the man she hadn't seen in more than a year. The first thing she noticed was that he was still as handsome as ever. Her traitorous heart fluttered in her chest.

"What do you want, Zuko?" She stared at the floor.

As her melodious voice washed over him, he felt his pulse pick up. It was still here after all this time.

He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face up. She met a burning gaze with strong, golden eyes. She couldn't look away.

"I want to apologize, Katara," Zuko began in a firm voice. "You were right about everything. I was turning into my father but I've changed. I'm clean now and I never meant to hurt you. I would like a second chance to make things right if you're willing to give it to me. I know my destiny lies with you."

As she stared into the depths of his topaz eyes, she could make out no hint of deceit. Her heart was thundering, begging her to take a chance. After all this time, she still loved him. In her heart, she knew this was right.

She wasn't about to let him off the hook though.

She stepped away and looked up at him, her cobalt eyes blazing. She radiated strength and confidence. It was one of the many things that he loved about her.

"I'll give you one more chance but you and I both know you've struggled with doing the right thing in the past so let me tell you something right now," she said, stalking toward him. "You make one step backward, one slip up, give me one reason to think you might hurt me and you won't have to worry about your destiny anymore because I'll make sure your destiny ends right then and there, _permanently_."

She smiled slightly at the end but her eyes were still hard. He gulped.

She turned around and gestured for him to come inside, inconspicuously sniffing him as he walked by. Nothing. No scent of alcohol. The small smile turned into a full-blown grin and she followed him inside, shutting the door behind her.

Zuko stood in the middle of her modest living room, unsure of how to proceed. Katara came to stand beside him.

"Lu Ten?" she called. "Could you come here for a minute?"

Zuko's heart caught in his chest again. His son.

He heard a muffled reply and then running footsteps. A three-year-old with disheveled black hair and gold eyes burst into the room.

"What, Mommy?" His eyes fell on the man next to his mother and he froze. The man tensed, not sure what to expect. Then, Lu Ten smiled broadly and bounded forward into his arms.

_"Daddy!"_ His family was together again.


End file.
